Joining device and kitchen appliance fitted with the joining device

ABSTRACT

A joining device joins first and second bodies. The joining is simple and can be well-maintained, between a first and a second body that are, for example, parts of a food processor, whereby the first wall forms the bottom and the second wall is an outer wall. The first wall of the first body extends substantially at a right angle to the second wall of the second body. A detent projection, which is placed on an inner side of the first wall that is encircled by the second body, is pushed into a detent opening inside the wall by the force exerted by a connection device, particularly a screw, that is joined to the first body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation, under 35 U.S.C. § 120, ofcopending international application No. PCT/EP02/09461, filed Aug. 23,2002, which designated the United States; this application also claimsthe priority, under 35 U.S.C. § 119, of German patent application No.101 42 508.2, filed Aug. 30, 2001; the prior applications are herewithincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a joining device for attaching afirst body, which can be inserted into a second body.

[0003] There are many options for connecting together two bodies. Apartfrom screw connections, detent connections offer the advantage that theconnections can easily become loosened when both bodies are to bedetached from each other for example for repair purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a joiningdevice and a kitchen appliance fitted with the joining device thatovercomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art devices ofthis general type, which is simple to construct.

[0005] In a joining device of the type initially described this task issolved by a first wall of the first body extending substantially at aright angle to a second wall of the second body, and being fitted with adetent boss, which is disposed on an inner side of the first wallencircled by the second body, and which is pushed into a detent openingby a force exerted by a connection device connected to the first body.

[0006] The inventive configuration of the joining device succeeds inapplying axial forces from the first body to the second body. Thisproduces a good and stable connection in an axial direction between bothbodies.

[0007] In a particularly advantageous configuration of the invention thedetent boss is disposed on a spring connected to the first wall. Thedetent boss is then pressed or pushed into an assigned detent opening bythe connection device, when the latter is placed in the first wall ofthe first body, resulting in a secure though easily detachableconnection between the first and the second body.

[0008] In a particularly suitable variant of the invention the spring isconnected monobloc to the first wall. The spring can thus bemanufactured in the same work procedure as the first wall. The springand the wall are formed of either plastic or metal. When the spring andthe wall are formed of plastic, they can be manufactured as a monoblocinjected-molded article.

[0009] A joining device, in which the spring is disposed at an acuteangle to the second wall, is particularly suitable. By introducing theconnection device through the first wall of the first body the spring istensed and at the same time the detent boss disposed on the spring ispressed into the detent opening.

[0010] The detent boss engages advantageously in a detent openingdesigned as a sack hole bore.

[0011] It proves advantageous if the connection device is configured asa screw, a pin or a bolt. Due to the connection device a fast connectionis established between the first and the second body.

[0012] Particular stability is achieved by the joining device if thefirst body has a support wall on the inside of the first wall, andrunning substantially vertically to the first wall, and if theconnection device between the support wall and the spring is screwed orinserted into the first body.

[0013] The invention also relates to a kitchen appliance, which isfitted with a joining device. The above-mentioned advantages can beutilized in the kitchen appliance fitted thus with the first and thesecond body. This structuring contributes to producing a kitchenappliance quickly and to being able to take it apart easily for repairs.

[0014] The invention is particularly suited to a kitchen appliance, inwhich the first body is a floor part, the first wall is a floor plate,the second body is a sheathing part and the second wall is a sheathingwall.

[0015] In particular, the invention is suited to a kitchen appliancehaving a circular floor plate, representing the front side of asubstantially cylindrical, conical or truncated structure of a kitchenappliance, in particular a kitchen appliance such as a citrus press.

[0016] Using the inventive joining device forms the housing of thekitchen appliance. The space in the inside of the housing of the kitchenappliance can be utilized rationally, since the attachment between thefront-side floor plate and the sheathing wall occupies little room only.Due to the type of installation there are interfering edges neitherinside nor outside.

[0017] Other features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in the appended claims.

[0018] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein asembodied in a joining device and a kitchen appliance fitted with thejoining device, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to thedetails shown, since various modifications and structural changes may bemade therein without departing from the spirit of the invention andwithin the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

[0019] The construction and method of operation of the invention,however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will bebest understood from the following description of specific embodimentswhen read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a joining devicewithout a connection device according to the invention;

[0021]FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic, section view of the joining deviceaccording to FIG. 1 together with the connection device;

[0022]FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic, plan view of the joining device with theconnection device taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. 2; and

[0023]FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic, perspective view of a floor plate of akitchen appliance.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first,particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a body 1 that has a wall2. The body 1 can be inserted from below into a mantel or annular wall 3of a body 4.

[0025] Formed on the wall 2 is a spring 5, in such a way that itprotrudes into an interior formed by the wall 2 and the wall 3 alongwith other non-illustrated structural elements. The spring 5 with thewall 3 forms an acute angle. On its front end it has a detent boss 6,which is facing a detent opening 7, formed in the wall 3. The detentopening 7 is either an opening passing through the wall 3 or a sack holebore.

[0026] In another embodiment, not illustrated here, the form of thedetent opening is especially adapted to the form of the detent boss 6.But it is fully acceptable if, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the detentboss 6 is taken up fully by the detent opening 7.

[0027] The wall 2 is fitted with an opening 8, through which aconnection device 9 can be inserted. A screw 9, whereof the helicalwinding engages in corresponding, preformed grooves on the side of thespring 5 averted from the wall 3, is particularly suitable.

[0028] In order to create a good hold by the connection device 9 in thewall 2, and for the spring 5 to be pressed with its detent boss 6particularly securely into the detent opening 7, by pushing in theconnection device, in particular by turning in the screw 9, a supportwall 10 is preferably provided, which holds in position the screw 9 or apin inserted in through the opening 8, and prevents the recoil force ofthe spring 5 from deflecting the screw 9 or the pin against thedirection of an arrow P from the wall 3.

[0029] The support wall 10 for example has a cross-section of thesegment of a circle. This effectively ensures that the screw is heldadequately. The support wall 10 is also preferably connected monobloc tothe wall 2.

[0030] In an embodiment of the invention the wall 2 (FIG. 4) of the body1 forms a floor plate. Two support walls 11 and 12, separated from oneanother, instead of the support wall 10 support the screw 9.

[0031] The invention enables easy and secure connection between thefirst body 1 and the second body 4, which are for example parts of akitchen appliance, whereby the first wall 2 forms the floor and thesecond wall 3 is a sheathing wall. The first wall 2 of the first body 1extends substantially at a right angle to the second wall 3 of thesecond body 4. The detent boss 6, which is disposed on an inner side ofthe first wall 2 encircled by the second body 4, is pressed into thedetent opening 7 in the wall 3 by the force exerted by the connectiondevice connected to the first body 1, in particular the screw 9.

We claim:
 1. A joining device for attaching a body, comprising: a firstbody having a first wall extending substantially at a right angle to asecond wall of a second body into which said first body will beinserted, said first wall having an inner side; a detent boss disposedon said inner side of said first wall and which can be pressed into adetent opening of the second body by force, and said detent boss beingencircled by the second body in a pressed-in state; and a connectiondevice disposed in said first body for exerting the force on said detentboss.
 2. The joining device according to claim 1, wherein said firstbody has a spring connected to said first wall and said detent boss isdisposed on said spring.
 3. The joining device according to claim 2,wherein said spring is disposed at an acute angle to the second wall. 4.The joining device according to claim 2, wherein said spring isconnected monobloc to said first wall.
 5. The joining device accordingto claim 1, wherein the detent opening is a sack hole bore and saiddetent boss is configured for engaging the sack hole bore.
 6. Thejoining device according to claim 1, wherein said connection device isselected from the group consisting of screws, pins and bolts.
 7. Thejoining device according to claim 2, wherein said first body has asupport wall on an inside of said first wall, and substantially verticalto said first wall, and said connection device which is disposed betweensaid support wall and said spring can be screwed or inserted into saidfirst body.
 8. A joining device for attaching to a first body, which canbe inserted into a second body, the first body having a first wallextending substantially at a right angle to a second wall of the secondbody, the joining device comprising: a detent boss disposed on an innerside of the first wall and can be pressed into a detent opening of thesecond body by force, said detent boss being encircled by the secondbody in a pressed-in state; and a connection device disposed in thefirst body for exerting the force on said detent boss.
 9. The joiningdevice according to claim 8, further comprising a spring connected tothe first wall and said detent boss is disposed on said spring.
 10. Thejoining device according to claim 9, wherein said spring is disposed atan acute angle to the second wall.
 11. The joining device according toclaim 9, wherein said spring is connected monobloc to the first wall.12. The joining device according to claim 8, wherein the detent openingis a sack hole bore and said detent boss is configured for engaging thesack hole bore.
 13. The joining device according to claim 8, whereinsaid connection device is selected from the group consisting of screws,pins and bolts.
 14. The joining device according to claim 9, wherein thefirst body has a support wall on an inside of the first wall, anddisposed substantially vertical to the first wall, and said connectiondevice which is disposed between the support wall and said spring can bescrewed or inserted into said first body.
 15. A kitchen appliance,comprising: a first body having a first wall with an inner side andbeing a first housing part of the kitchen appliance; a second bodyhaving a second wall with a detent opening formed therein and being asecond housing part of the kitchen appliance, said first body beinginserted into said second body, said first wall extending substantiallyat a right angle to said second wall of said second body; and a joiningdevice containing: a detent boss disposed on said inner side of saidfirst wall and can be pressed into said detent opening of said secondbody by force, and said detent boss being encircled by said second bodyin a pressed-in state; and a connection device disposed in said firstbody for exerting the force on said detent boss.
 16. The kitchenappliance according to claim 15, wherein said first body is a floorpart, said first wall is a floor plate, said second body is a sheathingpart and said second wall is a sheathing wall.